His And Her Circumstances Fan Fiction ❯ Pictures of Matchstick Men ❯ Flame ( Chapter 13 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Ssinurn Solen 
"It is a cave, even though someone dressed it up as house."
"I am going out to get some wood, and to see if the weather is going to stay clear."
Anime/Manga: His And Her Circumstances Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.04.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
"It is a cave, even though someone dressed it up as house."
"I am going out to get some wood, and to see if the weather is going to stay clear."
Anime/Manga: His And Her Circumstances Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.04.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
Chapter 13: Flame
Hideaki watched the fire in the oil well as it slowly burned. He looked over at Annie as she peacefully slept wrapped haphazardly in her kimono.
He smiled as he looked at the tumble of brownish blonde hair. He brushed a few stray strands from her face. He unraveled his hakima and put them over her for extra warmth.
The snow storm that lasted the night gave way to the sun. Some of the sunlight filtered through the broken awning and lit up the little room.
Hideaki looked at the wooden panels on the wall. He did not recognize the story they were meant to portray, but the workmanship was still beautiful. He wondered if he could use the images in his own artwork.
He stood and wrapped himself in his ghi as he rubbed his hands together for warmth and carefully studied each panel. Hideaki stubbed his toe on rock that was covered in twigs. As he brushed away the leaves and twigs, he found a stone step. He blinked a couple of times, wondering why there was a step under that panel and not under the others in the room.
There was a small gap between that panel and the one next to it. It took a bit of effort, but he was able to push the panel above the step aside. Another room was behind the panel. Hideaki could not see much, except for part of a wooden floor just past the entryway.
A piece of a fat candle lay on its side abandoned on the floor of the entryway. He took the candle and tried to light it from the oil pot in the altar, with no success. After several tries, he took a twig from the floor and dipped it in the burning oil. Once lit, he used the twig to light the candle.
As he took the candle into the room behind the panel, he heard scurrying across the wooden floor. "Rats, eww." he swore as he got a better look at the back room.
The room was not much larger than the one in the shrine. Although the floor was dirty, and in need of a good sanding and oiling, it was sound.
The remains of a straw mat were pushed up near a fire pit to the east.
There was a metal tripod over the fire pit, apparently to be used for cooking.
Along small ledges in the cave were the remains of candles, their wax drippings frozen from lack of heat.
A couple decorated screens were tossed about the room. They looked useable, but Hideaki knew he would have to check them further.
A short cupboard and a long wooden chest were on the west side.
"Someone must have lived here. Maybe a monk or something." He said to himself as he carefully walked in and lit a few of the candles on the ledges.
He walked back out to the shrine and set the candle on the altar as he bent down and carefully woke Annie up.
"Hey, Annie, c'mon, I found another room. Wake up."
Annie groaned as she turned over, but she smiled when she met Hideaki's face. "What did you say?"
"This shrine has a back room. A little house. It must have belonged to the person who kept the place up. C'mon, it's warmer in there."
"The sun is out, Hideaki."
"Yeah, but we don't know how long that will last. It is better we make ourselves comfortable."
Annie got up and looked at the little room behind the shrine. "This place really needs cleaned up."
"Yeah, and I thought I heard rats. I just hope their aren't any snakes."
"You are such a chicken, Hideaki. There's a broom over there. We can start with sweeping up."
"I'll take the broom and poke that pile of straw. There were rats in here."
"My guess is that they are under the floorboards. It will be easier if you just push that trash into the fire pit."
"Yeah, Annie, it will make great kindling."
"I will check the cupboards."
"Watch out for snakes."
"Man, you really are being a chicken, Hideaki." Annie said as she opened the small cabinet.
Inside the cabinet were pots of scented oil, sealed canisters of spices, canisters of preserved and dried fruit, a canister that looked like it might contain some rice, and more candles.
Annie found another cabinet in a small alcove behind a screen which contained an assortment of new looking pots and pans to use on the tripod above the fire pit. "Well, I found the cookware. Have you found any snakes yet?"
"No. " Hideaki said as a couple of rats scatted under the floorboards. "Ew, but there are plenty of rats. Find any food?"
"Jeez, do you always think with your stomach?"
"Well, I am a man, after all."
Annie smiled, "Yes, you are. I almost wish this was our house. Here in the middle of nowhere, where there are no news reporters, and no family squabbles."
"And no grocery store."
"Oh, shut up and finish sweeping up."
Annie bent down and opened up the trunk. Inside was bedding that had not been touched by rats or other vermin. She took a deep breath at the scent wafting from the chest. "Ah, cedar and sandalwood. Smells so nice." She rummaged deeper in the chest. "Look Hideaki, I don't think whomever lived here before was a monk. Not with all the women's jewelry and clothes that are in here. In America, we would call this a hope chest."
Hideaki carefully arranged the straw in the fire pit. "I am going to get some wood from outside. This stuff will just smoke up the place."
"Isn't there any wood in that big bucket on the far side of the pit?"
Hideaki looked up at a screen that was leaning against a wall. He slowly pulled it back. On a slight rise to the north of the fire pit, was a wooden bathtub. "Nope, just a tub and a couple of buckets. wouldn't have noticed it at all if I hadn't moved the screen."
"It is a cave, even though someone dressed it up as house."
"I am going out to get some wood, and to see if the weather is going to stay clear."
"I hope they take their time in finding us."
"Well I am no hunter, so we will starve if they don't"
"Wait, I am going with you. I might be able to find some berries, or if the stream is close, I can go fishing."
Hideaki sighed and smiled. "Come on."
**********
Piman's home as well as the Mitsubishi mansion were both surrounded by reporters the next afternoon after Hideaki and Annie disappeared. Piman had hoped to keep the fact of the two missing out of the press, but someone at the police department leaked the story.
"Mr. Takishiro, is it true that your niece, Miss Annie Takishiro and Mr. Hideaki Asaba have eloped?"
"There is no truth to that rumor."
"Is the rumor that Miss Takishiro broke a business agreement with the Mitsubishi family, one that could cause financial ruin for her company, Singing Sun?"
"I have heard no such rumor. Miss Takishiro has yet to reach her majority, and thus the company remains ion the hands of relatives, who are the board members. She has not the authority yet to make such decisions on her own."
"Then it is possible that a hostile takeover of Singing Sun is underway. Could that be the reason for her disappearance?"
"No comment. Now will you all please leave. You are upsetting my guests. If you do not leave, I will have to have you arrested."
"One more comment, Mr. Takishiro."
"No. Now go."
Piman walked into the empty house.
Mrs. Niwashi had gone taken her two girls to stay with relatives in Tokyo until the mess cleared up.
Tanaka Niwashi was heading up the private search.
The only ones left in the huge home were Piman and Mr. Asaba.
Mr. Asaba was sitting in the living room, looking at the Christmas tree, and drinking some tea to calm himself.
"This is not good, Piman, not good at all."
"I know Mr. Asaba. The press is hampering all of our efforts of trying to find them in that large park. Instead of searching, the police have been shooing away photographers and fans. The group of men I hired to aid in the search has not been able to get very far into the park either."
"I 'm sorry, but I am in a panic. He is my only son. He and Annie could be dead or dying of frostbite, and another storm is supposed to come through. All of these stupid people getting in the way could get them dead."
"Yes, and I wonder how much of the attention is on purpose."
"What do you mean?"
"Your son and my niece are at the height of their fame. It looks to me like someone wants to turn them into martyrs. I would not put it past the head of the Mitsubishi's to try something like this."
"Bastards. I heard that old, powerful families were not much different from crime families, but I never believed it."
"It is not always true. Perhaps you should use your computer and find out what this business agreement Annie has with the Mitsubishi's exactly is. I am hoping she is not worth more to them dead."
"You are right, it is no use sitting around here screaming at the press out the windows."
**********
"Father, you can not spread rumors to the press about a contract that may not be valid." Kwan pleaded with the elder of the Mitsubishi's.
The old man sat behind his desk as his son paced back and forth in front of it. "My lawyers have assured me that all of the contracts that Senyo Takishiro made with me are valid. they were made before his mother died, and before she cut him out of her will."
"I am not so sure."
"Where is my grandson, Reiji?"
"He is gone. I was told he went to assist in finding Asaba and Lady Takishiro."
"Good. Does he have his cell phone?"
"Yes, why?"
"You need not concern yourself. I will handle this matter."
"He will not come home. When he sets his mind to something, he does not waiver."
"Which is why he is next in line to run the company, instead of you."
"I am relieved. I never wanted the responsibility."
The old man stood, anger filled his face. "You are relieved! How can you say such a thing to me?"
"I told you years ago father, that I had no head for business. Reiji does, and he has a better head for it than you do! I will be glad when you step down. It is your investments and shady deals that have nearly brought us low!" Kwan shouted back.
"I will only leave the head of this company when I die!" Old Mitsubishi spat out as his face turned many shades of red. "Get out of my sight before I have to have you removed!"
"Yes, father." Kwan made a curt bow before he left the office.
The old man left a message on Reiji's cell phone after Kwan left. "Make sure those two have an accident. Try to keep them alive, but hurt. I will explain to you why, once it is done. Do not defy me Reiji."
**********
"Chicken, big chicken shit!" Annie yelled as she threw snowballs at Hideaki.
"Ow, stop it, you crazy nag!" Hideaki laughed back as he threw snowballs back at her.
Through their efforts, they had plenty of firewood.
Hideaki found a bridge overgrown with vines just a few paces from the cave. After he and Annie cleared away the smaller vines, they found a small spring that fed into a larger pool, which drained off into a little stream to another pool which seemed to repeat in the same manner down a gentle incline. Inside the pools were several fat lake trout, which Annie showed Hideaki how to catch.
They took snow and water from the stream to fill the bathtub and any other clean jars. They had water for washing and for drinking.
Once the two were sure to have food and warmth, they decided it was time to have a little bit of fun.
The wool coats Annie found in the trunk kept out most of the cold, not that she and Hideaki cared much. They knew they would have fresh bedding and a warm fire to unthaw themselves when they were done outside.
Hideaki built a snowman while Annie made an arsenal of snowballs. As soon as he called out to show her his artful sculpture, she pelted him with snowballs.
Before long they were both laughing so hard that it was hard to breathe.
Hideaki rushed up to Annie and scooped her up into his arms.
"What in the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Carrying my wife across the threshold, like they do in the west."
"Hideaki, we are not married yet."
"We might as well be. We got a little house in the woods all to ourselves, food is plentiful, no paparazzi, no smog, just you and me."
Annie laughed, "I thought you wanted to be closer to a grocery store?"
"I can't make love to my wife in a grocery store."
"No, I suppose you can't." Hideaki carefully carried her into the shrine and through the door to the in back.
The room was cold because they had left the doors open to air out the back room.
Hideaki set Annie down slowly as he kissed her deeply. He took a ragged blanket out into the shrine and placed it through some of the timbers of the ruined overhang. He yanked the overhang inward, to keep the snow out of the shrine. He then took the final piece of loose timber and braced it in such a way that no one from the outside could get in without knocking.
Annie lit the fire in the fire pit. She went back to the look through the door to watch Hideaki at his work. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she thought, "He is mine."
Hideaki turned to her and smiled. He walked slowly up the steps and into the back room, sliding the door closed behind him.
"You need to get out of those wet clothes." He said as he untied the belt to her coat and undid the buttons.
"You are wet too, Hideaki." Annie began undressing him in return.
Ever so slowly, each piece of their clothing fell to the floor.
Annie took Hideaki by the hand and lead him to the chest so he could help her pull out the bedding.
"I thought you would have brought this out already." Hideaki whispered in heavy breaths.
"I could not risk the rats getting to it. The cold should have drove most of them out, but I could not guarantee it. Besides, the blankets smell so nice when fresh form the chest."
Hideaki breathed in the heavy scent of sandalwood and cedar from the blankets and nodded as he lay the blankets on the floor.
Annie snuggled under the covers as soon as the blankets were in place, "Come to me, my love."
"Wife." Hideaki whispered as he settled in with Annie and began caressing and kissing her.
**********
Reiji saw the plume of smoke not far from the parking area near the scenic grotto. He did not know of anyone who was looking in that direction.
In his grandfather's time, there had been dozens of vacation cottages in that area, due to several hot springs and clear pools that made it ideal for some who wanted to get away to a peaceful setting.
The area was abandoned quickly. Mud and rockslides were prevalent along the steep gorge. Hidden cliffs lead into the ravine. Many over the years fell to their deaths in the river far below.
Reiji leaned against his car and stared at his cell phone.
The message that his grandfather had sent him disturbed him. He did not know what to do.
Lisa Niwashi was in the passenger seat of the car, fast asleep. She had slipped away from her mother and called Reiji to pick her up at the train station.
None of Reiji Mitsubishi's family knew Lisa was with him, and he had planned on keeping it that way, until the phone call. He was deathly afraid of his grandfather, but he could not do what the old man wanted him to do. When the old man said that he wanted someone hurt, he meant that he did not expect the target to survive.
Reiji thought of it being the same kind of duty that ancient samurai were expected to do. Yet, this was far from ancient times, and Reiji hated the way his grandfather operated.
Reiji looked in the car at Lisa. He knew he could just wait there and say nothing about what he saw to the rescue crews, or he could find them, and lead them to safety, or an accident.
"Sorry Lisa," he whispered as he headed from the car to a small trail that lead in the direction of the plume of smoke.
**********
Lisa woke and shivered. She got out of the car and looked around to see where Reiji had gotten to, but she could not see him. She spotted the small trail and decided to go after him.
She pulled her coat tighter around her as she followed Reiji's footprints. The footprints stopped abruptly, and she could hear a groan from the side of the trail.
"Reiji!" She shouted as she looked over the edge of the gorge to a small ledge several meters below. Reiji lie there groaning, but not moving. "Stay there, I have my cell. I will call for help." She tried several times, but her phone just kept giving her static.
"No," He said from below, "you will have to go for help. Your phone won't work. At least mine didn't."
"But I don't know the area here! I don't have the keys to your car either!"
"Go towards the fire. There has to be somebody...." Reiji's voice trailed off as he gasped for breath.
"Reiji!"
"I have a couple of bruised ribs and my leg is broken. Go, towards the smoke, up, " he made a few more wheezes and gasps, "upriver. Be careful, slippery."
Lisa looked up and saw what looked like a wisp of smoke. "I am going. Stay put. I will find you again.
Lisa took a bunch of brightly colored hair ties and tied them to branches of trees along the trail towards where she saw the smoke.
She came to the remainder of a wooden bridge, and a large stone cliff. The smoke came from the top of the cliff.
"Oh great. I have to time to be rock climbing."
She crossed the bridge and found the remains of a snow fort. There were some footprints, but it was snowing again, and the footprints were being covered up quickly. She followed a few of the prints to a spot at the side of the cliff where the snow melted quickly. It did not take her long to find what looked like a makeshift door.
Lisa was dismayed to find that the door was either braced from the inside. "Somebody, even some old scraggly hermit has to live here." She said to herself as she started to pound on the door and yell for help.
**********
Annie woke with a start at the noise coming from the shrine room. She pushed on Hideaki, "Wake up! Somebody is outside!"
"Ugh, c'mon Annie, we are in the middle of nowhere. You wore me out, I need some more sleep."
"Well I will go see for myself then, it could be a rescue crew."
Hideaki grunted, turned over and pulled the blankets over his head.
Annie quickly got dressed in a pair of slacks and a sweater from the old trunk. The pants had ties at the waistband and the ankles which allowed them to fit easily. She grabbed the broom to use as a weapon and made her way into the shrine room. "Lisa? Lisa! Is that you?"
"Annie? Oh thank God. Reiji fell, he is stuck on a ledge in the ravine."
Annie knocked the board that held the barrier closed and let Lisa in.
"Oh God, Annie! Are you alright? What about Hideaki?"
"We are both fine. What did you say about Reiji? You don't mean Reiji Mitsubishi?"
"Yes, he saw smoke and came to investigate. He left me asleep in his car, and when I went to look for him, he had slipped and fallen. I am having trouble with my phone, and I don't have his car keys..."
"Shh. Wait here, Hideaki isn't decent." Annie stormed into the back room and kicked Hideaki in the legs. "Get up! Our honeymoon is over and Lisa's boyfriend has gotten himself in some serious shit."
Hideaki sat up and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Is there something in that trunk that I can wear? I don't want to fuck up my fancy clothes."
Annie went to the trunk and pulled out a pair of pants. Like those she wore, the waistband was adjustable. She also found a thick ghi for him to wear.
"Great, a ninja outfit." He grumbled as he dressed quickly.
"Lisa, you can come in now."
Lisa was red with embarrassment as she stepped into the room, but the look quickly turned to awe when she looked at the little house her friends had found. "Nice place."
"We would be dead if we hadn't found it." Hideaki looked around the room. "Annie, look in that trunk and see if there is any rope. You can do some looking too Lisa." He scowled. He was not mad at Lisa, just upset that his and Annie's little paradise had been invaded.
"Cut out the attitude, Hideaki. You don't need to be a fucking jerk."
Hideaki turned to Lisa and softened his face. "Sorry. I am just not awake yet. Annie is a horny little minx."
"You are the horny one, you asshole. We need to get moving. I found some rope in one of the trunks, but I don't know how much help it will be. The pieces aren't very long and the stuff is old."
"It is better than nothing."
The three of them followed Lisa's hair tie trial to the spot where Reiji was trapped.
"It looks like we might have just enough rope to reach him if we tie the pieces together, and it doesn't fray apart."
"Annie, he said he has a broken leg."
"Damn it all! Do I have to fucking do everything."
"Watch your mouth." Reiji yelled from below, "And throw me the rope. I will see if I can do something with it."
"Lisa, which way is the car?" Hideaki asked, "Did you bother to go back there and see if your phone would work there?"
Lisa blinked a couple of times. "No. I panicked and went where Reiji told me to go."
"Give me your phone and point me to the trail where his car is, I will call for help." Hideaki snatched the phone as soon as Lisa brought it out of her purse and headed down the trail.
"Hideaki!" Annie screamed as he stormed off. "You are stronger, you have a better chance of pulling him up."
"Yeah, and how do I know he doesn't want my ass dead? Something stinks. I will be right back, I promise. Just get him the rope and make sure he doesn't fall the rest of the way down. If his ribs are screwed up, we shouldn't be pulling him up yet anyway."
"Bastard shows his true colors now, Annie. Jeez, I don't see what you see in that guy."
"Shut up, Lisa, or I will leave your fucking boyfriend down there."
"What the hell happened to you, Annie? Do you have to be so mean to me!" Lisa burst into tears as she shoved Annie away from the gorge towards a small tree.
"Quit bickering you two and get me that rope." Reiji yelled.
Lisa lowered the rope down as soon as she had it tied down to a small tree. The rope reached the ledge, barely. It was not enough for Reiji to tie around himself.
"Hey you down there, " Annie yelled, "Do you know how to bind up your leg?"
"Yeah, If I had something to wrap it with. Seeing as your rope is not going to do me much good."
"I got a piece of material. I will pull up the rope and send it down tied in the end."
"Fine."
Hideaki returned a few minutes later and handed Lisa back her phone. "It is like I thought. The phone works over in that parking lot. Your lover-boy Lisa has some explaining to do once help arrives."
**********
"Piman! That was Hideaki, Lisa found them!" Mr. Asaba whooped.
"Lisa, as in my daughter?" Tanaka furrowed his brow and pressed his lips together. "Lisa is supposed to be with her mother and sister in Tokyo." He hissed.
"She wasn't. She was searching with Reiji Mitsubishi."
It was Piman's turn to scowl. "What is she doing with that young man?"
"Speaking of that young man," Mr. Asaba said somberly, "through my investigating it is that young man that has the contract with Annie."
"What do you mean?" Piman shot out.
"Apparently, Senyo borrowed a great deal of money from the Mitsubishi in order to fund a hotel in Okinawa. The old man refused at first, then devised a plan to take over Singing Sun. He took the money out of Reiji's accounts, having Senyo sign a contract to pay Reiji the money back, with interest. If Senyo was unable to pay, Reiji was to be given in a board position in Singing Sun with all the stock privileges of the position. Of course, according to Singing Sun's charter, the company must be run by a Takishiro, or a relative of the family. So a legal marriage contract was drawn up and a proxy pre-marriage was preformed shortly after. I do not know if Reiji knows about the arrangement. It could be real trouble for Annie, as well as for Singing Sun."
Piman found a chair and sank into it. He covered his face with his hands. "Tanaka, is there any way around this arrangement?"
"I will get my lawyers on this, Uncle Piman. Proxy marriages are not usually legal. But, if it is a ceremonial way to take over the company, we may have problems. I hope there is a loophole we can use. Annie's mother being an American may help with that."
"Get on it. I want my great niece to marry Hideaki. She loves him. And there are other things to consider."
"What other things?" Mr. Asaba asked.
"I am quite certain they can not keep their hands to themselves. I saw evidence of it on the car ride here."
"So my son could be on his way to being a father and not know it?"
"Precisely."
"Oddly enough," Tanaka cut in, "If she is pregnant by Hideaki, that is a big if." he added as the two other men scowled at him, "That could be the loophole we need to keep Mitsubishi's hands off of Singing Sun."
Piman stood angrily. "You will not use Annie as a tool either, Tanaka."
"I didn't mean it that way. You are right, but Annie loves Hideaki. She will want to marry him, not Reiji. If she is pregnant, it will save the company, and her from a marriage she will not want to accept."
"At least we know they are safe." Mr. Asaba said with a sigh.
**********
Hideaki watched the fire in the oil well as it slowly burned. He looked over at Annie as she peacefully slept wrapped haphazardly in her kimono.
He smiled as he looked at the tumble of brownish blonde hair. He brushed a few stray strands from her face. He unraveled his hakima and put them over her for extra warmth.
The snow storm that lasted the night gave way to the sun. Some of the sunlight filtered through the broken awning and lit up the little room.
Hideaki looked at the wooden panels on the wall. He did not recognize the story they were meant to portray, but the workmanship was still beautiful. He wondered if he could use the images in his own artwork.
He stood and wrapped himself in his ghi as he rubbed his hands together for warmth and carefully studied each panel. Hideaki stubbed his toe on rock that was covered in twigs. As he brushed away the leaves and twigs, he found a stone step. He blinked a couple of times, wondering why there was a step under that panel and not under the others in the room.
There was a small gap between that panel and the one next to it. It took a bit of effort, but he was able to push the panel above the step aside. Another room was behind the panel. Hideaki could not see much, except for part of a wooden floor just past the entryway.
A piece of a fat candle lay on its side abandoned on the floor of the entryway. He took the candle and tried to light it from the oil pot in the altar, with no success. After several tries, he took a twig from the floor and dipped it in the burning oil. Once lit, he used the twig to light the candle.
As he took the candle into the room behind the panel, he heard scurrying across the wooden floor. "Rats, eww." he swore as he got a better look at the back room.
The room was not much larger than the one in the shrine. Although the floor was dirty, and in need of a good sanding and oiling, it was sound.
The remains of a straw mat were pushed up near a fire pit to the east.
There was a metal tripod over the fire pit, apparently to be used for cooking.
Along small ledges in the cave were the remains of candles, their wax drippings frozen from lack of heat.
A couple decorated screens were tossed about the room. They looked useable, but Hideaki knew he would have to check them further.
A short cupboard and a long wooden chest were on the west side.
"Someone must have lived here. Maybe a monk or something." He said to himself as he carefully walked in and lit a few of the candles on the ledges.
He walked back out to the shrine and set the candle on the altar as he bent down and carefully woke Annie up.
"Hey, Annie, c'mon, I found another room. Wake up."
Annie groaned as she turned over, but she smiled when she met Hideaki's face. "What did you say?"
"This shrine has a back room. A little house. It must have belonged to the person who kept the place up. C'mon, it's warmer in there."
"The sun is out, Hideaki."
"Yeah, but we don't know how long that will last. It is better we make ourselves comfortable."
Annie got up and looked at the little room behind the shrine. "This place really needs cleaned up."
"Yeah, and I thought I heard rats. I just hope their aren't any snakes."
"You are such a chicken, Hideaki. There's a broom over there. We can start with sweeping up."
"I'll take the broom and poke that pile of straw. There were rats in here."
"My guess is that they are under the floorboards. It will be easier if you just push that trash into the fire pit."
"Yeah, Annie, it will make great kindling."
"I will check the cupboards."
"Watch out for snakes."
"Man, you really are being a chicken, Hideaki." Annie said as she opened the small cabinet.
Inside the cabinet were pots of scented oil, sealed canisters of spices, canisters of preserved and dried fruit, a canister that looked like it might contain some rice, and more candles.
Annie found another cabinet in a small alcove behind a screen which contained an assortment of new looking pots and pans to use on the tripod above the fire pit. "Well, I found the cookware. Have you found any snakes yet?"
"No. " Hideaki said as a couple of rats scatted under the floorboards. "Ew, but there are plenty of rats. Find any food?"
"Jeez, do you always think with your stomach?"
"Well, I am a man, after all."
Annie smiled, "Yes, you are. I almost wish this was our house. Here in the middle of nowhere, where there are no news reporters, and no family squabbles."
"And no grocery store."
"Oh, shut up and finish sweeping up."
Annie bent down and opened up the trunk. Inside was bedding that had not been touched by rats or other vermin. She took a deep breath at the scent wafting from the chest. "Ah, cedar and sandalwood. Smells so nice." She rummaged deeper in the chest. "Look Hideaki, I don't think whomever lived here before was a monk. Not with all the women's jewelry and clothes that are in here. In America, we would call this a hope chest."
Hideaki carefully arranged the straw in the fire pit. "I am going to get some wood from outside. This stuff will just smoke up the place."
"Isn't there any wood in that big bucket on the far side of the pit?"
Hideaki looked up at a screen that was leaning against a wall. He slowly pulled it back. On a slight rise to the north of the fire pit, was a wooden bathtub. "Nope, just a tub and a couple of buckets. wouldn't have noticed it at all if I hadn't moved the screen."
"It is a cave, even though someone dressed it up as house."
"I am going out to get some wood, and to see if the weather is going to stay clear."
"I hope they take their time in finding us."
"Well I am no hunter, so we will starve if they don't"
"Wait, I am going with you. I might be able to find some berries, or if the stream is close, I can go fishing."
Hideaki sighed and smiled. "Come on."
**********
Piman's home as well as the Mitsubishi mansion were both surrounded by reporters the next afternoon after Hideaki and Annie disappeared. Piman had hoped to keep the fact of the two missing out of the press, but someone at the police department leaked the story.
"Mr. Takishiro, is it true that your niece, Miss Annie Takishiro and Mr. Hideaki Asaba have eloped?"
"There is no truth to that rumor."
"Is the rumor that Miss Takishiro broke a business agreement with the Mitsubishi family, one that could cause financial ruin for her company, Singing Sun?"
"I have heard no such rumor. Miss Takishiro has yet to reach her majority, and thus the company remains ion the hands of relatives, who are the board members. She has not the authority yet to make such decisions on her own."
"Then it is possible that a hostile takeover of Singing Sun is underway. Could that be the reason for her disappearance?"
"No comment. Now will you all please leave. You are upsetting my guests. If you do not leave, I will have to have you arrested."
"One more comment, Mr. Takishiro."
"No. Now go."
Piman walked into the empty house.
Mrs. Niwashi had gone taken her two girls to stay with relatives in Tokyo until the mess cleared up.
Tanaka Niwashi was heading up the private search.
The only ones left in the huge home were Piman and Mr. Asaba.
Mr. Asaba was sitting in the living room, looking at the Christmas tree, and drinking some tea to calm himself.
"This is not good, Piman, not good at all."
"I know Mr. Asaba. The press is hampering all of our efforts of trying to find them in that large park. Instead of searching, the police have been shooing away photographers and fans. The group of men I hired to aid in the search has not been able to get very far into the park either."
"I 'm sorry, but I am in a panic. He is my only son. He and Annie could be dead or dying of frostbite, and another storm is supposed to come through. All of these stupid people getting in the way could get them dead."
"Yes, and I wonder how much of the attention is on purpose."
"What do you mean?"
"Your son and my niece are at the height of their fame. It looks to me like someone wants to turn them into martyrs. I would not put it past the head of the Mitsubishi's to try something like this."
"Bastards. I heard that old, powerful families were not much different from crime families, but I never believed it."
"It is not always true. Perhaps you should use your computer and find out what this business agreement Annie has with the Mitsubishi's exactly is. I am hoping she is not worth more to them dead."
"You are right, it is no use sitting around here screaming at the press out the windows."
**********
"Father, you can not spread rumors to the press about a contract that may not be valid." Kwan pleaded with the elder of the Mitsubishi's.
The old man sat behind his desk as his son paced back and forth in front of it. "My lawyers have assured me that all of the contracts that Senyo Takishiro made with me are valid. they were made before his mother died, and before she cut him out of her will."
"I am not so sure."
"Where is my grandson, Reiji?"
"He is gone. I was told he went to assist in finding Asaba and Lady Takishiro."
"Good. Does he have his cell phone?"
"Yes, why?"
"You need not concern yourself. I will handle this matter."
"He will not come home. When he sets his mind to something, he does not waiver."
"Which is why he is next in line to run the company, instead of you."
"I am relieved. I never wanted the responsibility."
The old man stood, anger filled his face. "You are relieved! How can you say such a thing to me?"
"I told you years ago father, that I had no head for business. Reiji does, and he has a better head for it than you do! I will be glad when you step down. It is your investments and shady deals that have nearly brought us low!" Kwan shouted back.
"I will only leave the head of this company when I die!" Old Mitsubishi spat out as his face turned many shades of red. "Get out of my sight before I have to have you removed!"
"Yes, father." Kwan made a curt bow before he left the office.
The old man left a message on Reiji's cell phone after Kwan left. "Make sure those two have an accident. Try to keep them alive, but hurt. I will explain to you why, once it is done. Do not defy me Reiji."
**********
"Chicken, big chicken shit!" Annie yelled as she threw snowballs at Hideaki.
"Ow, stop it, you crazy nag!" Hideaki laughed back as he threw snowballs back at her.
Through their efforts, they had plenty of firewood.
Hideaki found a bridge overgrown with vines just a few paces from the cave. After he and Annie cleared away the smaller vines, they found a small spring that fed into a larger pool, which drained off into a little stream to another pool which seemed to repeat in the same manner down a gentle incline. Inside the pools were several fat lake trout, which Annie showed Hideaki how to catch.
They took snow and water from the stream to fill the bathtub and any other clean jars. They had water for washing and for drinking.
Once the two were sure to have food and warmth, they decided it was time to have a little bit of fun.
The wool coats Annie found in the trunk kept out most of the cold, not that she and Hideaki cared much. They knew they would have fresh bedding and a warm fire to unthaw themselves when they were done outside.
Hideaki built a snowman while Annie made an arsenal of snowballs. As soon as he called out to show her his artful sculpture, she pelted him with snowballs.
Before long they were both laughing so hard that it was hard to breathe.
Hideaki rushed up to Annie and scooped her up into his arms.
"What in the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Carrying my wife across the threshold, like they do in the west."
"Hideaki, we are not married yet."
"We might as well be. We got a little house in the woods all to ourselves, food is plentiful, no paparazzi, no smog, just you and me."
Annie laughed, "I thought you wanted to be closer to a grocery store?"
"I can't make love to my wife in a grocery store."
"No, I suppose you can't." Hideaki carefully carried her into the shrine and through the door to the in back.
The room was cold because they had left the doors open to air out the back room.
Hideaki set Annie down slowly as he kissed her deeply. He took a ragged blanket out into the shrine and placed it through some of the timbers of the ruined overhang. He yanked the overhang inward, to keep the snow out of the shrine. He then took the final piece of loose timber and braced it in such a way that no one from the outside could get in without knocking.
Annie lit the fire in the fire pit. She went back to the look through the door to watch Hideaki at his work. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she thought, "He is mine."
Hideaki turned to her and smiled. He walked slowly up the steps and into the back room, sliding the door closed behind him.
"You need to get out of those wet clothes." He said as he untied the belt to her coat and undid the buttons.
"You are wet too, Hideaki." Annie began undressing him in return.
Ever so slowly, each piece of their clothing fell to the floor.
Annie took Hideaki by the hand and lead him to the chest so he could help her pull out the bedding.
"I thought you would have brought this out already." Hideaki whispered in heavy breaths.
"I could not risk the rats getting to it. The cold should have drove most of them out, but I could not guarantee it. Besides, the blankets smell so nice when fresh form the chest."
Hideaki breathed in the heavy scent of sandalwood and cedar from the blankets and nodded as he lay the blankets on the floor.
Annie snuggled under the covers as soon as the blankets were in place, "Come to me, my love."
"Wife." Hideaki whispered as he settled in with Annie and began caressing and kissing her.
**********
Reiji saw the plume of smoke not far from the parking area near the scenic grotto. He did not know of anyone who was looking in that direction.
In his grandfather's time, there had been dozens of vacation cottages in that area, due to several hot springs and clear pools that made it ideal for some who wanted to get away to a peaceful setting.
The area was abandoned quickly. Mud and rockslides were prevalent along the steep gorge. Hidden cliffs lead into the ravine. Many over the years fell to their deaths in the river far below.
Reiji leaned against his car and stared at his cell phone.
The message that his grandfather had sent him disturbed him. He did not know what to do.
Lisa Niwashi was in the passenger seat of the car, fast asleep. She had slipped away from her mother and called Reiji to pick her up at the train station.
None of Reiji Mitsubishi's family knew Lisa was with him, and he had planned on keeping it that way, until the phone call. He was deathly afraid of his grandfather, but he could not do what the old man wanted him to do. When the old man said that he wanted someone hurt, he meant that he did not expect the target to survive.
Reiji thought of it being the same kind of duty that ancient samurai were expected to do. Yet, this was far from ancient times, and Reiji hated the way his grandfather operated.
Reiji looked in the car at Lisa. He knew he could just wait there and say nothing about what he saw to the rescue crews, or he could find them, and lead them to safety, or an accident.
"Sorry Lisa," he whispered as he headed from the car to a small trail that lead in the direction of the plume of smoke.
**********
Lisa woke and shivered. She got out of the car and looked around to see where Reiji had gotten to, but she could not see him. She spotted the small trail and decided to go after him.
She pulled her coat tighter around her as she followed Reiji's footprints. The footprints stopped abruptly, and she could hear a groan from the side of the trail.
"Reiji!" She shouted as she looked over the edge of the gorge to a small ledge several meters below. Reiji lie there groaning, but not moving. "Stay there, I have my cell. I will call for help." She tried several times, but her phone just kept giving her static.
"No," He said from below, "you will have to go for help. Your phone won't work. At least mine didn't."
"But I don't know the area here! I don't have the keys to your car either!"
"Go towards the fire. There has to be somebody...." Reiji's voice trailed off as he gasped for breath.
"Reiji!"
"I have a couple of bruised ribs and my leg is broken. Go, towards the smoke, up, " he made a few more wheezes and gasps, "upriver. Be careful, slippery."
Lisa looked up and saw what looked like a wisp of smoke. "I am going. Stay put. I will find you again.
Lisa took a bunch of brightly colored hair ties and tied them to branches of trees along the trail towards where she saw the smoke.
She came to the remainder of a wooden bridge, and a large stone cliff. The smoke came from the top of the cliff.
"Oh great. I have to time to be rock climbing."
She crossed the bridge and found the remains of a snow fort. There were some footprints, but it was snowing again, and the footprints were being covered up quickly. She followed a few of the prints to a spot at the side of the cliff where the snow melted quickly. It did not take her long to find what looked like a makeshift door.
Lisa was dismayed to find that the door was either braced from the inside. "Somebody, even some old scraggly hermit has to live here." She said to herself as she started to pound on the door and yell for help.
**********
Annie woke with a start at the noise coming from the shrine room. She pushed on Hideaki, "Wake up! Somebody is outside!"
"Ugh, c'mon Annie, we are in the middle of nowhere. You wore me out, I need some more sleep."
"Well I will go see for myself then, it could be a rescue crew."
Hideaki grunted, turned over and pulled the blankets over his head.
Annie quickly got dressed in a pair of slacks and a sweater from the old trunk. The pants had ties at the waistband and the ankles which allowed them to fit easily. She grabbed the broom to use as a weapon and made her way into the shrine room. "Lisa? Lisa! Is that you?"
"Annie? Oh thank God. Reiji fell, he is stuck on a ledge in the ravine."
Annie knocked the board that held the barrier closed and let Lisa in.
"Oh God, Annie! Are you alright? What about Hideaki?"
"We are both fine. What did you say about Reiji? You don't mean Reiji Mitsubishi?"
"Yes, he saw smoke and came to investigate. He left me asleep in his car, and when I went to look for him, he had slipped and fallen. I am having trouble with my phone, and I don't have his car keys..."
"Shh. Wait here, Hideaki isn't decent." Annie stormed into the back room and kicked Hideaki in the legs. "Get up! Our honeymoon is over and Lisa's boyfriend has gotten himself in some serious shit."
Hideaki sat up and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Is there something in that trunk that I can wear? I don't want to fuck up my fancy clothes."
Annie went to the trunk and pulled out a pair of pants. Like those she wore, the waistband was adjustable. She also found a thick ghi for him to wear.
"Great, a ninja outfit." He grumbled as he dressed quickly.
"Lisa, you can come in now."
Lisa was red with embarrassment as she stepped into the room, but the look quickly turned to awe when she looked at the little house her friends had found. "Nice place."
"We would be dead if we hadn't found it." Hideaki looked around the room. "Annie, look in that trunk and see if there is any rope. You can do some looking too Lisa." He scowled. He was not mad at Lisa, just upset that his and Annie's little paradise had been invaded.
"Cut out the attitude, Hideaki. You don't need to be a fucking jerk."
Hideaki turned to Lisa and softened his face. "Sorry. I am just not awake yet. Annie is a horny little minx."
"You are the horny one, you asshole. We need to get moving. I found some rope in one of the trunks, but I don't know how much help it will be. The pieces aren't very long and the stuff is old."
"It is better than nothing."
The three of them followed Lisa's hair tie trial to the spot where Reiji was trapped.
"It looks like we might have just enough rope to reach him if we tie the pieces together, and it doesn't fray apart."
"Annie, he said he has a broken leg."
"Damn it all! Do I have to fucking do everything."
"Watch your mouth." Reiji yelled from below, "And throw me the rope. I will see if I can do something with it."
"Lisa, which way is the car?" Hideaki asked, "Did you bother to go back there and see if your phone would work there?"
Lisa blinked a couple of times. "No. I panicked and went where Reiji told me to go."
"Give me your phone and point me to the trail where his car is, I will call for help." Hideaki snatched the phone as soon as Lisa brought it out of her purse and headed down the trail.
"Hideaki!" Annie screamed as he stormed off. "You are stronger, you have a better chance of pulling him up."
"Yeah, and how do I know he doesn't want my ass dead? Something stinks. I will be right back, I promise. Just get him the rope and make sure he doesn't fall the rest of the way down. If his ribs are screwed up, we shouldn't be pulling him up yet anyway."
"Bastard shows his true colors now, Annie. Jeez, I don't see what you see in that guy."
"Shut up, Lisa, or I will leave your fucking boyfriend down there."
"What the hell happened to you, Annie? Do you have to be so mean to me!" Lisa burst into tears as she shoved Annie away from the gorge towards a small tree.
"Quit bickering you two and get me that rope." Reiji yelled.
Lisa lowered the rope down as soon as she had it tied down to a small tree. The rope reached the ledge, barely. It was not enough for Reiji to tie around himself.
"Hey you down there, " Annie yelled, "Do you know how to bind up your leg?"
"Yeah, If I had something to wrap it with. Seeing as your rope is not going to do me much good."
"I got a piece of material. I will pull up the rope and send it down tied in the end."
"Fine."
Hideaki returned a few minutes later and handed Lisa back her phone. "It is like I thought. The phone works over in that parking lot. Your lover-boy Lisa has some explaining to do once help arrives."
**********
"Piman! That was Hideaki, Lisa found them!" Mr. Asaba whooped.
"Lisa, as in my daughter?" Tanaka furrowed his brow and pressed his lips together. "Lisa is supposed to be with her mother and sister in Tokyo." He hissed.
"She wasn't. She was searching with Reiji Mitsubishi."
It was Piman's turn to scowl. "What is she doing with that young man?"
"Speaking of that young man," Mr. Asaba said somberly, "through my investigating it is that young man that has the contract with Annie."
"What do you mean?" Piman shot out.
"Apparently, Senyo borrowed a great deal of money from the Mitsubishi in order to fund a hotel in Okinawa. The old man refused at first, then devised a plan to take over Singing Sun. He took the money out of Reiji's accounts, having Senyo sign a contract to pay Reiji the money back, with interest. If Senyo was unable to pay, Reiji was to be given in a board position in Singing Sun with all the stock privileges of the position. Of course, according to Singing Sun's charter, the company must be run by a Takishiro, or a relative of the family. So a legal marriage contract was drawn up and a proxy pre-marriage was preformed shortly after. I do not know if Reiji knows about the arrangement. It could be real trouble for Annie, as well as for Singing Sun."
Piman found a chair and sank into it. He covered his face with his hands. "Tanaka, is there any way around this arrangement?"
"I will get my lawyers on this, Uncle Piman. Proxy marriages are not usually legal. But, if it is a ceremonial way to take over the company, we may have problems. I hope there is a loophole we can use. Annie's mother being an American may help with that."
"Get on it. I want my great niece to marry Hideaki. She loves him. And there are other things to consider."
"What other things?" Mr. Asaba asked.
"I am quite certain they can not keep their hands to themselves. I saw evidence of it on the car ride here."
"So my son could be on his way to being a father and not know it?"
"Precisely."
"Oddly enough," Tanaka cut in, "If she is pregnant by Hideaki, that is a big if." he added as the two other men scowled at him, "That could be the loophole we need to keep Mitsubishi's hands off of Singing Sun."
Piman stood angrily. "You will not use Annie as a tool either, Tanaka."
"I didn't mean it that way. You are right, but Annie loves Hideaki. She will want to marry him, not Reiji. If she is pregnant, it will save the company, and her from a marriage she will not want to accept."
"At least we know they are safe." Mr. Asaba said with a sigh.
**********